Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Gardening with Robert Dale of Belgian Fog: An Interview

Just last week, I posted on Seattle pop artist Belgian Fog, who -- in real life -- goes by Robert Dale. Robert was kind enough to answer a few questions, as his internet presence is currently rather elusive. Thanks, Robert!

Choir Croak Out Them Goodies:
You're originally from L.A.; what made you relocate to Seattle? L.A. is a bit
oversaturated with artists but there are also many more connections to be made
here -- do you think moving to Seattle will have helped or hindered your music
career in the long run?

Robert Dale: That's a good question, I have no
idea. I've lived in Seattle now for a few years, my family moved when my dad
switched jobs and I decided to stay. It's a great city and I've met a lot of
wonderful people but I also record by myself still and release music that way
so... who knows.

CCOTG: It seems you only have about three finished songs available. How long
does a song typically take you to write and record, and how much more stuff do
you have in store at present?

RD: I'm always working on music and the
length varies. The first couple tracks took a long time to release for
extraneous reasons. But, I'd love to release more music, more quickly.

CCOTG: You're an assistant at KEXP; has this helped you learn anything about
promotion or trends in music, and has working there helped you in any way?

RD: I love working at KEXP and I've learned a ton from being there, but not
really anything
specific about the business. I've learned a lot just from people and
about
music in general from helping out with Kevin's show and stuff. [Dale is
the
assistant to DJ Kevin Cole, who has gone on record as a fan of
Ramonesersize!]

CCOTG: Your lyrics are unexpectedly honest and cover topics that don't
necessarily get used in music, at least in your genre. How much of the material
stems from real life? If it's directly inspired by your life and mind, are you
at all afraid of anyone in particular hearing your songs and reacting?

RD: Haha, thank you! Some of it is real
life, some of it is created. There isn't much that I'd be afraid of anyone in
particular hearing. I've mentioned this before, but, I like creating realistic
characters and communicating through them, some of it is from my own life of
course though too.

CCOTG: How involved in music do you hope to be in the future? Do you hope to
"make it big," manage a basic career in music, or do this as a hobby?
At what point do you think you'll be happiest as an artist?

RD: I do love music and any opportunity to be involved with it is great. I think
being able to record and release music myself at present and have people
interested is quite an honor in itself.

CCOTG: Who are some of your favorite musicians, writers, artists, and what most
inspires you?

RD: As far as music, probably a lot of
what you'd expect: Dave Fridmann, Passion Pit, Melody's Echo Chamber, etc., as
well as David Wise, things from early ‘90s popular culture, SNES soundtracks in
general. I read a lot of sociology and psychology, sometimes pop-science,
anything applicable to me. All of the above inspires me!

CCOTG: What would you be doing with your time if you weren't as interested in
music?